Four Counties Ring Canal Guidebook

The Four Counties Ring Canal Companion was the first guide Pearson's published and has gone through nine editions since first appearing in print in 1982. Its core route is a 109 mile / 94 lock circuit through the counties of Staffordshire, West Midlands, Shropshire and Cheshire; especially popular with hire boaters. The guide includes full coverage of the famous Trent & Mersey Canal, stretching 92 miles from Preston Brook, near Runcorn, to Shardlow, near Derby.

Two other waterways of contrasting character are also included: the Caldon Canal, which runs from the Potteries up into the Staffordshire Moorlands; and the Weaver Navigation, a former inland shipping route which pivots on the legendary Anderton Lift; one of the Seven Wonders of the Waterways.